Solve Your Toughest Q4 Challenge This Weekend

You need to relax on the weekend in order to get the breakthrough ideas you need to increase your professional contributions and advance your career.

That’s right, the oft-forgotten weekend is the answer. But not your typical weekend of today—one that is filled with catching up with e-mail, instant messages to colleagues who have “a quick question,” and a few hours finishing that special project your boss is waiting for and you never have time for during the week.

I mean a real weekend, like when we were kids and we had no homework. Translation: a weekend as far away from your computer and smartphone as possible, a weekend that isn’t dominated with must-do tasks. Alas, a weekend that’s nearly anathema to our always-on digital culture.

Make no mistake, I’m preaching to myself as well. I know it’s not easy. But I do my best to uphold my weekends. A couple of my colleagues at work unplug entirely from Friday night to Monday morning. This seems to shake out well for them. They spend time with people other than their coworkers. They indulge their hobbies and outside interests. They open their minds to relaxation. And in a couple days they plug back in with fresh insights.

Let me be clear: I’m not telling you to take the weekend off to better your soul. I’m telling you to take the weekend off so you can regularly get those breakthrough ideas you need to increase your professional contributions and advance your career.

Have a “Eureka!” Moment This Weekend

Remember the example of Archimedes? While at rest, he solved a problem he was unable to crack no matter how many hours he spent hunched over his workbench.

Investing time and attention away from work isn’t a waste; it pays dividends for both your mind and body. And by reclaiming the weekend you offer yourself the ideal opportunity to open yourself up to important insights during the busiest time of the year.

About the Author

Marc J. Schiller has spent more than two decades teaching IT strategy and leadership to the world’s top companies. Through online courses, speaking engagements and corporate consulting, his company educates IT pros at all levels on how to be more effective, influential and successful in their IT careers. Get access to free videos and an excerpt from his book, The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT Leaders, atwww.marcjschiller.com/resources.

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